This blog will explain the Disaster Management. First, we will learn about Disaster and Types of Disasters. Secondly we will discuss about Government and Types of Governments. Third, we will Discuss NGOs and Types of NGOs. In the end, we will learn about the Role of Government and Non-Governmental Organizations in Disaster Management. We will discuss the role of Government and NGOs in Disaster Management.
Disaster:
A disaster can be defined as any bad happening. Dis means ‘Bad’ and Aster means ‘Event’ so any disaster that has a huge impact on the society, life, infrastructure associated with some other multiple factors is called catastrophe.
A disaster is always unpredictable.
If not managed it can cause a great damage that can be permanent sometimes.
Disaster can range from an individual to whole population.
They depends on the vulnerability of the effected individual or population.
Types of Disasters:
There are two basic types of disasters according to their occurrence. These are as follows:
Natural Disasters:
Natural disasters occurs by natural sources such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes etc. Human activity can enhance their impacts, but is not involved in its occurrence and cannot delay or prevent these disasters. It is very difficult to predict them. The only way is to prepare to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters so this can be in the form of constructing flood barriers, dams, earthquake proof infrastructure in the threatened areas and other considerations like this.
Human-caused Disasters:
Human-caused disasters are the disasters in which nature is not involved and their occurrence totally depends on the human activities. Examples of such disaster are blast into a factory, fire into a power plant, blast of a cylinder, gas leakage and other human-caused disasters so These disasters takes lives of many people every year just as natural disasters. We can predict and prevent them to some extent. Avoiding negligence in all the workplaces containing hazardous chemicals or gases will help to prevent such disasters.
Example: Earthquake in Pakistan, 2005 etc.
Disaster Management:
Disaster management is a very important procedure to overcome or eliminate the damage of a disaster. It is important that wherever there is a chance of any disaster, precautionary measures should be taken before time so that it couldn’t harm to the extreme. If the disaster is extreme; management is difficult and time gaining. But if disaster is slight; management is quick and damage is minor.
Example: Bhopal Gas Tragedy, 1984 etc. Now we will discuss the role of Government and NGOs in Disaster Management.
What is Government?
Government is defined as the group of people with the authority to govern a country or state or a particular ministry office. The Government is the biggest authority of a country or state so as It governs or deals with all the issues and their resolving on country or state levels.
When any Natural disaster or any significant accident occurs, it is the responsibility of government to provide first aid and fundamental facilities to the disaster victims and funds for infrastructure as the result of disaster. The disaster management depends on the way of tackling the disaster by government authorities.
Types of Governments:
Following are the major types of Governments seen in the world:
Authoritarian Governments
Political system characterized by rejection of democracy and political plurality.
Democratic Governments
It is the government that people elect.
Monarchy
It is the government who has an individual ruler.
Dictatorship
One person making rules and implementing on people by power.
Oligarchy
Small group of people having control over a country.
Parliamentary Democracy
Democracy in which is partly the greatest representation of parliament.
Presidential Democracy
The president is elected directly by people or through an electoral college.
Participatory Democracy
Citizens participates individually in political decisions.
These are the main types of Governments around the World.
What are NGOs?
NGOs stands for Non-Governmental Organizations so we can define it as an organization established by a group of individuals that wishes to pursue goals and aspirations that relate to the public, social, or political good of a nation or the world.
These organizations are independent of government so most of them are active in humanitarianism and social sciences. NGOs plays a great role in the management of disasters. NGOs are basically organizations that works for reducing poverty, working for sustainability, inequalities, support of human rights and prosperity for every individual in nearby areas and in the country.
Types of NGOs:
There are two types of NGOs. These are as follows:
• Operational NGOs
Focus on Design and Implementation of developmental projects.
• Advocacy NGOs
These NGOs defends or promote a specific cause and seek to influence Privacy Policy.
These are the types of NGOs around the world.
Role of Government in Disaster Management:
When any natural disaster or artificial disaster occurs in a country, it is the responsibility of the government to look after the victims and land destroyed by the occurred disaster. Disaster management requires many actions to control or eliminate the damage of any disaster. Following are the steps the government should take to overcome a disaster.
1: Prediction:
The first step that a government should take is that they should try to predict the disaster before time. Prediction means to know something before time. It is the step that provide time and chance to prepare for the disaster and to control or eliminate the damage predicted by the extent of the disaster. It is impossible to predict exact time of a disaster, so if the prediction is possible we should take quick action against the disaster.
3: Mitigation:
Mitigation means to reduce the severity of any disaster. In this step some actions are taken by the government in which it make sure that the place where there is a disaster, the damage remains slight and minor so they migrate people away from the disaster zone so that no damage could cause of the residents. In case of any technological damage, the people of respective building and area to eliminate damage to life. While in case of any natural disaster like flood, canals are made to minimize its damage and embankments are made to stop flood flow.
4: Preparedness:
After all the mitigation measures, there is the time of preparedness for the upcoming disaster. It is basically the preparedness of the response in return of the disaster. It needs a lot of attention and planning of the government to prepare a creative and satisfactory response to the disaster. Preparedness is done when the disaster is predicted. It helps to reduce the damage that can be caused by any disaster.
5: Response:
Response means the quick reaction so in disaster management, it means the response of the government right after the occurrence of the disaster. Response should be suitable for the extent of the disaster. Rehabilitation works for the disaster victims. Government should take actions for the reconstruction of destroyed areas and to pay for the health finances and residency of disaster victims.
6: Recovery:
Recovery means to overcome or recover the damage caused by disaster. Recovery should ensure that all the effected things i.e. Infrastructure, human life, etc. are transformed in a way like they were before the disaster. It needs funding, rehabilitation, support and financial help from the government. Recovery is the most important responsibility after any disaster. This responsibility is of government to recover every damage caused by the disaster as soon as possible.
After discussing the Role of Government in disaster management, we will now discuss the Role of NGOs.
Role of NGOs in Disaster Management:
NGOs response to the disasters before government most of the time. The response of NGOs is very satisfactory in return of any disaster so as NGOs provide moral support and financial support to the victims and helps in their rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.
Following are some of the steps that NGOs take in response to a disaster:
1 Providing Relief Materials:
The NGOs try their best to provide comfort to disaster victims according to the fund given to them in the form of charity. They provide life essentials to the victims for example food, water, blankets, and other things that disaster victims need after the disaster. Relief material help to prevent diseases and disorder in disaster victims. Because they are most vulnerable to get ill in emergency situations.
2 Organizing health camps:
NGOs establishes health camps at the site of disaster that provide first aid, medicine, care of the children, and all the health related needs that should be provided to all the disaster victims so Health camps provide relief to the people fighting from diseases, pandemics and injuries after the disaster. Health camps can save lives of injured people who can lose their lives because of blood loss.
3 Rescue Operations:
NGOs also help to rescue the victims to migrate them to safe and secure places in order to save their lives and to ensure that there is a minor damage against the disaster. Rescue operation includes transfer of machinery. Other items that are we can use for protection from a disaster. It helps is saving the lives of the people that are in danger because of the disaster.
4 Arranging temporary Shelter:
NGOs arrange camps to provide shelter to disaster victims to save them from weather conditions, wild animals and other life threatening things so they provide protection against freezing cold, extreme hot weather, flowing water etc. and save lives of thousands of people after the damage of the disaster. Temporary shelter means so much for the people who would have lost their homes in natural disasters.
Here was the complete description about Role of Government and NGOs in Disaster Management.
To learn about different topics, click the links below:
Impacts of Accidents at Workplace
Economic Growth and Sustainability
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